Kotaku writer loses 9th Xbox 360 [Archive]

MegaDrive20XX

07-23-2007, 07:37 PM

I'm on Number 2 :) only 9 more to go! lol

On 1up.com there was another story about the "11th" 360.

Now mine makes a weird DVD noise whenever the disc is idle in the drive for a short period of time when checking who's online..which worries me to death. Kind of like a quick spin of the disc while idle. Even when it shuts down, I hear one of the heat sink fans make an odd noise. (Similar to an Dodge RAM 1500 series when you hear the motor stop after you park, which is NORMAL for a Truck, but not a damn 360...)

norkusa

07-23-2007, 07:43 PM

No matter how poorly the system is made, I have a hard time believing that this guy has gone thru 9 Xbox's. Is he keeping it next to an oven?

jcalder8

07-23-2007, 07:58 PM

No matter how poorly the system is made, I have a hard time believing that this guy has gone thru 9 Xbox's. Is he keeping it next to an oven?
This is my thought too, I'd love to see some pictures of his setup and the kind of condition he keeps his stuff in. I think of my 360 as a computer not a game system and so far I have yet to have any problems.

Chuplayer

07-23-2007, 08:06 PM

My 360's fine, but a friend of mine got the red rings of death. He's still waiting for his system to get back.

I'm thinking of moving my 360 or removing the back of the entertainment center. It's not a bad setup, but it could be better. There's still a decent amount of room to ventilate the system, but I think a little more would be a good idea.

7th lutz

07-23-2007, 08:11 PM

Anyone who went throught 9 to 11 360s already has to lying or doesn't take care of their 360 game console system well. A person needing a 360 to replaced about every 2 months is insane considering the system came out out Novemember of 2005 if the person is one of the first to get a 360 system.

I know the 360 is not exactly reliable, so I am not shocked if a person might go through 2 to 4 systems already. Anything more then that is questionable.

Virtualogik

07-23-2007, 08:49 PM

I'm on my third console in a little over 7 months. I practically don't play my 360 so it's definitely not abused.

The problem here is that once you get a faulty console, you keep getting refurbished ones that break in a matter of weeks, months if you're lucky (or don't use your console too much)... Hopefully their supposedly new replacement heat sinks will stop this trend (and hopefully the last one I got was one of them... ).

ProgrammingAce

07-23-2007, 09:26 PM

I seem to remember him saying that he was killing debug systems by doing things he shouldn't have. Here's a hint, don't flashy-flashy things you shouldn't.

Cornelius

07-23-2007, 10:28 PM

I think of my 360 as a computer not a game system and so far I have yet to have any problems.
Just to play devil's advocate a bit: Why should you have to do this? Has any other game console ever required that it not be under the TV w/ all your other a/v stuff? I'll give you the first model PSX, but it didn't usually just all-out quit. I guess for me if I have to treat it like a computer, I'd rather have the performance and flexibility of... you guessed it, a computer!

Maybe you disagree or are just willing to lower your standards for the games, but not very long ago a track record like this would have sunk a game company.

note: I'm using the grand 'you', I'm not picking on jcalder, or anyone for that matter. It is just an interesting conversation.

PallarAndersVisa

07-23-2007, 11:24 PM

every SCPH1001 I've ever come across has minor to major problems

KeyserSoze61

07-24-2007, 12:01 AM

That is remarkable. I'm definitely staying out of this generation of consoles. Everything seems rushed to market with a multitude of poor decision making. Between the format wars, the PS3 price point, and shoddy manufacturing, I am not impressed as a consumer. The technology is a moderate step up from the previous generation yet carries countless new problems. HD gaming just isnt worth the hassle right now.

NE146

07-24-2007, 12:02 AM

Just to play devil's advocate a bit: Why should you have to do this? Has any other game console ever required that it not be under the TV w/ all your other a/v stuff?.

Exactly. It's total bullshit you have to take "extra" precautions to friggin play the console and do shit like make sure it has ventilation, stays cool, and other b.s.

My Turbografx didn't mind being sandwiched sideways between a bunch of books and a tape player I'll tell you that :P

PallarAndersVisa

07-24-2007, 12:04 AM

and your turbografx ran on what, 11volts?

josemp81

07-24-2007, 12:19 AM

on my third 360 bUt i bought mine at costco so i have no problem returning it for a new one!! Their return policy kicks ass!!

swlovinist

07-24-2007, 01:11 AM

I dont see a ton of problems with the PS3, just the 360. I am just lucky to have a day one 360 with no problems...yet.

zektor

07-24-2007, 01:24 AM

Jeez. After the few 360's I had problems with, well, I just gave up. I did think that the Elite would perhaps finally be a solid device, but now I am hearing the same old song and dance. I wish a third party would create the hardware, so that maybe I can have a solid console to play all of those great games...

I have two Dreamcast units dated Oct 1999....both have *never* failed. No reason in my eyes that a new system (or even a system that is 1 year old) should cause problems under normal use. All I do know is that customer loyalty to Microsoft in this house is at 0%.

PallarAndersVisa

07-24-2007, 01:26 AM

Nesmaster

07-24-2007, 01:28 AM

Really have to wonder, in 5 to 10 years how many consoles from 2005 - 2007 will still be alive and kicking. The PS3 has it's problems too, but the failure rate on the 360 seems like it's through the roof. I myself have been lucky so far, but I have to wonder when mine is just gonna quit like the rest...

Icarus Moonsight

07-24-2007, 02:42 AM

Yikes... I've heard as bad as 7 to 8 but 9 is the worst off I've heard of... though I'm sure there is worse cases. Already bought my Wii but, I am definately glad I decided to wait and see with the 360 and PS3.

Was the Xbox as plague stricken as the 360? I'm planning to buy an Xbox soon. Found a new one for sale in a specialty shop kinda close by for $100 packaged with a Star Wars game and another game I don't remember. I never owned one myself but, Fuyukaze's has been dead for years now and he's the only person I know that owns one.

segagamer4life

07-24-2007, 08:48 AM

No matter how poorly the system is made, I have a hard time believing that this guy has gone thru 9 Xbox's. Is he keeping it next to an oven?

its very possible, that we could have an anit- M$ person here... I love all these "I have had xxx multiple 360's fail"... the internet is a beautiful thing.

monkeychemist

07-24-2007, 08:56 AM

Cornelius

07-24-2007, 11:00 AM

Here is an idea...

If your 360 keeps dying, STOP BUYING THEM!!!

I'm pretty sure these folks aren't buying multiple 360s, they are returning them for repair under the warranty in the vast majority of cases. Microsoft even extended the warranty from what it initially was because of complaints.

Apparently some of you missed this article (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160603) that was linked to on these boards some weeks ago. (sorry, can't find that thread now).

YoshiM

07-24-2007, 11:34 AM

I dont know how people can compare a system like the 360 to a fucking Dreamcast, or god forbid, a Turbografx. These new systems are literally power hungry PCs packed into a tiny tiny box. Can you imagine cramming everything in your PC into a box as small as the 360 and making it work well in any condition?

The Turbo comparison is a bit off, I'll agree with but comparing the 360 to a Dreamcast I'll go with. It had a liquid+fan cooled 200 MHz CPU with a bunch of other heat generating parts with an in-system power supply AND it's smaller than a 360. No major problems there.

The thing is: it's these companies JOBS to make sure the unit will work well in the environment it's supposed to be in. Typically a game system of this caliber is going to be place in some sort of entertainment center or at least nearby other components that throw off heat. If the system can't keep itself cool in that most common of situations that's a problem. A person should not have to purchase a third party cooling device if the system was designed properly. In the case of the 360 it's obvious that it wasn't. If it was, why would MS be adding heat sinks to machines NOW?

The Shawn

07-24-2007, 11:58 AM

I'm scared to death that my 360 will die, Iv'e had it about a year and have only played 2 games on it...I bought one of those fan thingys and pretty much only use it to burn/ listen to music, quite an expensive replacement CD player...

Oobgarm

07-24-2007, 12:46 PM

I suggest ridding yourself of the 'fan thingy'. I've seen them kill a few machines.

Give it adequate ventilation and you should be fine.

Flack

07-24-2007, 02:40 PM

No matter how poorly the system is made, I have a hard time believing that this guy has gone thru 9 Xbox's. Is he keeping it next to an oven?

While I obviously don't know anything about the guy's personal setup, I assumed the high failure rate may be tied in with a high usage rate. In other words, as a professional writer maybe his 360 is on 24/7 -- which is still no excuse.

The last Dreamcast I picked up was $10 and I bought it at an outdoor fleamarket where it was literally sitting in and covered with dirt. Worked/works fine.

crivit

07-24-2007, 04:00 PM

I suggest ridding yourself of the 'fan thingy'. I've seen them kill a few machines.

I'm just got an intercooler for my 360. I'm curious how it would kill the machine or in what way it could be bad for it.

scooby105

07-24-2007, 05:03 PM

Why couldn't he go through 9? A friend of mine just had his die on him. He had it less than 3 months and had logged about 40-50 hours on it. If you go through one every 3 months with low to moderate use, it would be 6 360s in 18 months. It would be very easy to add a couple more on top of that with regular to heavy use to get up to 9 360s.

The system is a real piece of junk. Free replacements or not, it sounds like a giant pain in the butt that I don't have time for.

ProgrammingAce

07-24-2007, 06:27 PM

I'm just got an intercooler for my 360. I'm curious how it would kill the machine or in what way it could be bad for it.

Somewhere on this site i wrote a fairly long and detailed post on why the intercooler kills 360's. Since i'm too lazy to search, just trust me that you should toss that thing in the garbage.

Ironically enough, here's a post on Kotaku talking about Nyko offering to replace 360's damaged by their device.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/intercooler/nyko-fess-up-offer-refunds-on-torched-360s-214846.php

diskoboy

07-24-2007, 07:07 PM

I'm now beginning to believe this is all total bullshit.

I find it hard to believe I have a console from shortly after launch (Manufactured December 2005), and it stays on a good portion of the day, and I have still not had one problem with mine. No heat, games rarely crash.... The only problem I have is the occasional diry disc message. But after I wipe down the disc with a microfiber cloth, on both sides - no more problems.

I'm beginning to believe you people just don't know how to take care of your consoles. Sorry to be so blunt, but I'm really having a hard time believing all this.

Nesmaster

07-24-2007, 07:17 PM

I'm beginning to believe you people just don't know how to take care of your consoles. Sorry to be so blunt, but I'm really having a hard time believing all this.

I play mine a lot and baby it, but the best care in the world won't stop my dvd tray from sticking. That problem only lasted for a week, but it stopped sticking. Annoyed the hell outta me though.

diskoboy

07-24-2007, 07:42 PM

I play mine a lot and baby it, but the best care in the world won't stop my dvd tray from sticking. That problem only lasted for a week, but it stopped sticking. Annoyed the hell outta me though.

Now that I can understand. But I'm a little baffled by all these red rings. And it seems there's a different problem for every 360 out there, that causes the red rings.

I just find it odd.

Nesmaster

07-24-2007, 07:53 PM

Now that I can understand. But I'm a little baffled by all these red rings. And it seems there's a different problem for every 360 out there, that causes the red rings.

I just find it odd.

And if it is the heat that is killing them all, why don't people put them out in the open, away from anything else that generates heat? Maybe the 360s do run hot enough to kill themselves, but why add to the burden they carry.

Trebuken

07-24-2007, 07:55 PM

He did say that his most recent system was an ELITE even. I think the only plausible way for him to have gone through so many is if he is doing things he shouldn't be, though I can also see that debug systems might be inflating his total...

Nesmaster

07-24-2007, 07:59 PM

Take this video for example. I certainly wouldn't stuff my PS3 or 360 in a small enclosed area like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5jEbZt6AIQ

kai123

07-25-2007, 12:40 AM

If you are not having trouble with your 360 you are lucky. I am now sending in my second 360 because of the red ring. I have treated it the same as all of my other consoles. Why extend the warranty to three years for just red rings? Do you really think that many people mistreated their 360s? There is an obvious problem with the design of the system. It just shouldn't be this way. Too many good games that I can't play.

Mayhem

07-25-2007, 02:00 AM

I just see it as luck of the draw. Some people I know with launch systems are still working fine. Some people I know have had to return theirs multiple times for repair. I spoke to Sean K at the weekend, and he said he was repairing 20-25 units per week at the moment. Highest return rate so far? 14 units faulty since he got one at launch. That's... rather insane.

Moo Cow

07-25-2007, 02:01 AM

Looks like I definately won't be getting a 360. My room has no windows and the ventilation works...once a month? The fans don't help much (I have them on 24/7 and my room is still hot as hell). Oh well...

The 1 2 P

07-25-2007, 03:27 AM

Here is an idea...

If your 360 keeps dying, STOP BUYING THEM!!!

You are only encouraging Microsoft to keep selling you expensive paperweights.

Let's look at Microsoft's track record... Windows? full of bugs, crashes, freezes and security holes. MS Office? same...

They make a living off of people that are stupid enough to buy their crap after it fails.

So, do yourself a favor, don�t buy it, instead get a Wii or PS3; those two companies have a MUCH better record than Microsoft.

The "disc read error" sure didn't stop people from replacing their PS2's. As a matter of fact, people are still buying them today. And for awhile I thought this was the very reason why Microsoft was avoiding admitting that the 360 had a problem. They probably thought: "the PS2 has a higher than normal disc read error failure rate, but Sony won't admit it and people keep buying their consoles. So perhaps we should do the same." Luckily Microsoft finally admitted there is a problem and has begun taking steps to correct it. Too bad Sony can't say the same about the PS2.

monkeychemist

07-25-2007, 09:13 AM

The "disc read error" sure didn't stop people from replacing their PS2's. As a matter of fact, people are still buying them today. And for awhile I thought this was the very reason why Microsoft was avoiding admitting that the 360 had a problem. They probably thought: "the PS2 has a higher than normal disc read error failure rate, but Sony won't admit it and people keep buying their consoles. So perhaps we should do the same." Luckily Microsoft finally admitted there is a problem and has begun taking steps to correct it. Too bad Sony can't say the same about the PS2.

I don't really know about this problem. Between my friends and me, I have played on 6 PS2s and never had such problem. But, thats only 6 out of millions, so who knows. In any case, a "disk read error" is insignificant compared to a console dying. I am not trying to have a SONY Vs. MS thread, just pointing out that in ALL areas of products, MS gives people things that are incomplete, full of bugs and hardware that dies. It will take many years of a good record for me to change my opinion on that company. Personally, I will stick with Apple, Sony and Nintendo for my entertainment needs.

Edit: That being said, I just read that thread about the PS3 dying after the firware upgrade...oops haha

courtesi96

07-25-2007, 09:31 AM

I'm glad Rallisport Challenge 3 isn't on the radar. Otherwise I'd have to risk buying one of these POS...

PapaStu

07-25-2007, 10:21 AM

I'm just got an intercooler for my 360. I'm curious how it would kill the machine or in what way it could be bad for it.

What the Intercoolers are doing is drawing the power to run them straight from the system. Since this thing is pulling a ton of power as it is just to keep itself running (and in theory from overheating) that extra power is actually making the internal boards run even hotter and is burning out parts on the system like shown in those pics on Kotaku that Prog linked to.

The heat is killing them, but even with plenty of airflow around them, these things are still generating a TON of heat and shoddy manufacturing from MS's 3rd party makers hasn't helped these things to survive any better. Its been proven that with earlier systems there was a whole ton of them that were shipped with the foil still on the CPU's that the manufacturers forgot to take off before sealing them up. That lead to fried systems. Cheap epoxy on the boards has killed more systems when those chips loose their mounting and hell systems tend to not work well when theres so much internal heat that they unsolder themselves as they run.

I've got mine laying Horozontal in a big entertainment cabinet that has an open back, and I still play this thing with the door open because the CPU/GPU and the whirling dervish Disc Drive make the thing run hot... All the time. My system has already gouged one game, i'm just waiting for it to cook itself now.

NE146

07-25-2007, 11:08 AM

and your turbografx ran on what, 11volts?

Probably. Yes I am bitching about the bullshit 360 requirements, however, that being said here is something you may not realize.. between me, my brother and my nephews we have gone through 6 360 consoles. NONE of them have had a problem yet, and 2 of them are launch consoles.

My complaint still stands though ;)

diskoboy

07-25-2007, 11:41 AM

What I'm curious to know is why the 65nm chips haven't been released yet...

Last I heard, they were gonna be out before Summer was over. Now, it's like MS has just taken that whole idea off the burner, completely. They don't talk about it at all, anymore.

I'll bet they're just gonna wait another year, and redesign the 360, include the HD-DVD drive, instead of making it an add-on, and make the HD standard on all versions of the console.

- Just my 2 cents...

rbudrick

07-25-2007, 12:54 PM

A buddy of mine is on his 4th 360. The first one died after a couple months, the second died after a couple of weeks, where he temporarily revived it after wrapping it in a towel for a few minutes (red ring disappeared, but this only usually works once, and then only for about 15 more minutes...enough time to trade it in to Gamestop). So he traded it in, and got an elite. The Elite died in 2 weeks. His fourth one should arrive back from MS soon.

-Rob

Slate

07-26-2007, 12:25 AM

All I know is that I have a good 360. I've had it for 11 months and 11 days now and it runs for at least 9 hours every day, And it's still going strong...

Anthony1

07-26-2007, 01:19 PM

It's too bad we can't use these modern day systems like we used a Genesis or a SNES back in the day. Unfortunately, we just can't stuff them into entertainment centers anymore. Not only that, but we can't put them in places where they aren't near any other devices but don't have a ton of room to breathe. It appears that both these consoles (360 and PS3), need to be out in open space, not near anything else. I've had one Xbox 360 die (my launch console), and one PS3. From now on, I'm going to make sure that my consoles are out in the open, with at least 6 inches of space in all directions. I'm also going to try to stand them up vertically when possible, because it seems that when they are vertical, they dissipate the heat better.

This does kinda suck in a way, because I'm now putting my 360 and PS3 on the very top of my entertainment center in the living room, because that's the only place where they are going to be totally out in the open with tons of room to breathe. The downside of this, is that I'm actually going to have to get a chair to stand on, to actually put games or Blu Ray movies inside them, because the very top of the entertainment center is very high up. The good news, is that both of these systems use Wireless controllers, lol.

All I know is that I have a good 360. I've had it for 11 months and 11 days now and it runs for at least 9 hours every day, And it's still going strong...

Damn, you better knock on some wood real quick like!!!

Stubean

07-26-2007, 02:59 PM

Cornelius

07-26-2007, 03:18 PM

The reason there are cases of multiple consoles dying, is because they're being replaced with a refurb that is prone to failure. It would be a different story if they were replaced with new consoles.

And to the people blaming users for the consoles dying, my 1st 360 was handled with care, left out in the open in a cool room. It died in less than 5 months. It was an 8/06 manufacture, not a launch console.
For whatever it is worth, the article I linked to earlier details a guy who's first 6(?) were replaced with refurbs, and next 6(?) were replaced with new machines. Apparently at some point you can request that.

RyanMurf

07-26-2007, 04:05 PM

Just to play devil's advocate a bit: Why should you have to do this? Has any other game console ever required that it not be under the TV w/ all your other a/v stuff? I'll give you the first model PSX, but it didn't usually just all-out quit. I guess for me if I have to treat it like a computer, I'd rather have the performance and flexibility of... you guessed it, a computer!

Maybe you disagree or are just willing to lower your standards for the games, but not very long ago a track record like this would have sunk a game company.

note: I'm using the grand 'you', I'm not picking on jcalder, or anyone for that matter. It is just an interesting conversation.

I can see where you come up with this analogy but you have to remember were not talking about a ps1 here we are talking about xbox 360. This machine is so much more powerful than the ps1. You cant compare the two of them. The hardware is 100% different between the two!

SaturnFan

07-26-2007, 05:28 PM

All I know is that I have a good 360. I've had it for 11 months and 11 days now and it runs for at least 9 hours every day, And it's still going strong...

Yeah, I thought I was lucking having a unit that never gave me any problems whatsoever.....then I turn it on last night and im greeted with 3 rings of death. What a peice of shit these 360's are. The avarage life seems to be about 6 months. Funny how my Sega Sature is still going strong 12 years later while this new console dies in 6 months.

What really pisses me off is that the 360's give you no warning that they might be dying. There was never any disk freezing, errors,overheating...or anything. You just turn it on one day and it's dead....no warning at all.

I think im sticking to retro systems that were built better.

Cornelius

07-26-2007, 06:06 PM

I can see where you come up with this analogy but you have to remember were not talking about a ps1 here we are talking about xbox 360. This machine is so much more powerful than the ps1. You cant compare the two of them. The hardware is 100% different between the two!
Obviously the hardware is different/more powerful, but hasn't cooling tech improved as well (assuming you don't cheap out on it)? Not only that, but the processors that go into consoles are outdated by the time they hit the shelves, so it isn't like they are struggling with something new. I will grant that each generation the gap gets smaller in that regaurd. I guess in the end for me it comes down to there having to be some advantage of a console over a PC. That line is getting more blurry, so perhaps that is part of my problem.

ProgrammingAce

07-26-2007, 09:09 PM

Obviously the hardware is different/more powerful, but hasn't cooling tech improved as well (assuming you don't cheap out on it)?

Unfortunately not. The laws of thermodynamics haven't changed in years...

Cornelius

07-26-2007, 09:20 PM

Unfortunately not. The laws of thermodynamics haven't changed in years...
In this house, we OBEY the laws of thermodynamics!!

I don't believe my statement was contrary to any laws of nature, but perhaps I should have said, haven't we learned to use better cooling materials/designs. For example, copper heat sinks, quieter fans, and better design for air flow? Pretty basic stuff.